Where is Roberg?

Agra was one of my favorite cities.  It was relatively clean and easy to get around.  It also had some of the best monuments in all of India, as you’ll see from the pictures below.

I arrived in Agra and found my hotel (Hotel Kamar) with few problems.  The room was the nicest I’ve stayed in while I’ve been in India, and it only cost 600 Rs (about $15).  I immediately went up to the rooftop, where I could see the Taj Majal!!  I was amazed that I could get a hotel for less than $20 within sight of the Taj.  I tell you, India just keeps getting better!

Here’s Flat Kat and I at the Taj Mahal! (Check out his page for a lot more pictures of him)

Because it was a bit chilly (only 55 degrees or so), my hotel was not serving dinner on the roof, so I went next door to the next hotel (Hotel Shanti) for dinner.  Although it was busy with customers, people kept to themselves, service was a bit slow, and the food was only ‘ok’.  For the evening, I spent a couple of hours updating the blog and responding to e-mail.

Fatehpur Sikri: A palace built by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in the 1500s

The next day, I decided to head to the train station where I could get a tour of Agra.  I called to make sure I was heading to the right place and to double check on the time it departed.  When I arrived, they told me that the tour wasn’t running because they didn’t have enough people.  How FRUSTRATING!

So, I decided to go to Fatepur Sikri, a city / fort built by the Mughal emperor Akbar the Great in the 1500s.  In order to get there, I had to get a bus for a 20 km ride for 25 Rs (about 65 cents).  At the bus station, I caught up with a couple of guys who I had talked to at breakfast that morning (Jake and Marco).  Since we happened to run into each other, we decided to explore Fatehpur Sikri together:

Jason (U.S.A), Myself, Jake (England), Marco (England)

The bus ride there was a hair-raising experience (at least those people with hair told me it was!) .  Here are a couple pictures of the bus:

Bus driver’s seat         My seat + in the front row

When we got there in one piece, and white-knuckled, we made our way up the hill toward the fort.  First, we explored the free area, trying to ignore all of the people hassling us.  When a few guys claiming to be students who were studying the time period asked to give us a free tour, we went along.  After the tour, they tried to sell us cheap souvenirs at outrageous prices.  We all declined, but we all gave small amounts to each of our guides a small ‘tip’ for their service.

The real treat came when we went over to the paid area of Fatehpur Sikri, which is designated as a World Heritage site.  This time, we decided to get a tour from a certified tour guide, who wanted 150 Rs (~$4) for an hour.  We originally said we would pay only 100 Rs, and he agreed, but we were so happy with the tour that we ended up giving 200 Rs (50 Rs or $1.25 each)!  It was REALLY neat.

Sitting at Fatehpur Sikri

The architecture reflected Akbar’s tolerance for all religions (he had 3 official wives – one Christian, one Muslim, one Hindu, and he purposely included Christian, Muslim, and Hindu architecture to represent tolerance for people of all faiths).

View from the Emperor Akbar’s seat (is that the ghost of the emperor in the foreground?)

The city was only occupied for 10 years, and then it was moved to Agra, so the whole cite is incredibly well preserved.

For more information on Fatehpur Sikri, click here for the World Heritage site.  (the link for the WHTour is cool if you have QuickTime installed, a fast connection, and time to check it out.)
For more pictures, visit the following website:   http://www.pbase.com/croftcroyne/fatepur_sikri

or here:  http://www.visions-net.com/fs.htm

After a less white-knuckled ride home (Flat Kat and I were ready for it this time), we had dinner on the rooftop restaurant at Hotel Kamar (much better food) while looking at the Taj Mahal, and then called it a day.

Morning At the Taj Majal

Welcome to my Taj Majal!

Jake and Marco had spent the morning at the Taj before going to Fatehpur Sikri, and they highly recommended seeing the sun rise on one of the most famous memorials in the world.  So I followed their recommendation, and couldn’t agree with them more.  Early morning at the Taj is relatively quiet, with fewer tourists and a better chance to get great pictures, as you can see below.

The typical Taj picture (it’s the law that you have to take this… just kidding)

Here I am obscuring a good picture!

Although it’s hard to believe, the Taj lived up to the hype.  It truly is one of the buildings that needs to be seen in person to really appreciate it.  It was definitely one of the highlights of my trip.
The marble work is amazing (all the colored decoration are precious stones inlaid – put set directly into the marble)

Agra Fort

Flat Kat and I sitting on the Emperor’s platform in Agra Fort

When I was done at the Taj, I met up with a couple Americans for breakfast, and ran into Jake and Marco yet one more time.  The guys and I decided to share an auto rickshaw ride to Agra Fort, and ended up getting a tour of the place.  Unfortunately, Agra fort didn’t quite compare to Fatehpur Sikri, but it was still impressive.  When we were done, we decided to hang out in the park that runs alongside the outer wall of the fort because it was such a sunny, warm, and beautiful day.  After 30 minutes of hanging out, I saw a few kids playing cricket, and decided to ask them if I could play.

Here I am playing cricket with a few kids at Agra Fort

Batting….

and bowling (what we think of as pitching) with the outer wall of the fort in the background…

I played for about 10 minutes.  It was fun, and I appreciated their willingness to let me join in!  It just goes to show you, it never hurts to ask.  If I had been to shy or fearful of insulting them, I would never have had such a cool experience.

A bit of housekeeping: 

As I ended the day, I found a traditional Indian broom and decided to get a picture of it.  One thing I have seen everywhere is Indians sweeping their stores, their streets, and everywhere else, so the broom has become a bit of an icon on the trip.  And believe me, there is always dirt to sweep in India.  I couldn’t pass up the chance to get a picture of it.

Leif sweeping with a traditional Indian broom

 So, in one day I saw the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, I played cricket for the first time ever, and I swept a bit with a traditional Indian broom.  Now that’s what I call a good day!

Filed under: India, Travel